SAN FRANCISCO — Destiny doesn't do halfway. It latches onto a team like cans on the back of the bride and groom's bumper and goes along for the magical ride. Directions can be found on Google maps. Starting location: 24 Willie Mays Plaza.

Two years after their Torture Tour, these Giants have been sprinkled with orange pixie dust. Their best player this month is a 36-year-old vagabond second baseman. Their 260-pound third baseman hit three home runs. Their two-time Cy Young Award winner has become a bullpen weapon, and they floated to a commanding 2-0 World Series lead without having used their two best starters.

The Giants won 2-0 on Thursday night over the Detroit Tigers, inching convincingly toward their second World Series crown in three seasons.

World Series History

"All we're thinking about right now is winning. It doesn't matter how we do it, or how people think we are doing it," second baseman Marco Scutaro said. "We just have to find a way to keep it going."

Good teams create their own breaks. But when fate and physics give them a nudge toward the finish line, it doesn't hurt.

In the seventh inning, with the scoreboard showing more zeros than the Powerball jackpot, Gregor Blanco bunted. There were runners on first and second, so it made sense. The ball's path didn't. It appeared headed foul, then hugged the foul line like a lost love as three Tigers watched in disbelief.

Third baseman Miguel Cabrera was one with wide eyes. He admitted Monday that he didn't see an inning of the Giants' dramatic National League Championship Series victory over the St. Louis Cardinals. Had he, he would have known that ball wasn't going foul. Little has gone wrong for the Giants since the Cardinals fired a potential double-play groundball off second base in Game 5 of the NLCS.

With the bases loaded against struggling reliever Doug Smyly, his effort undermining Doug Fister's brilliant performance (six innings, four hits, survival of a line drive off his head), Brandon Crawford grounded into a double play. Of course, there was nobody out, so even though everything about the at-bat was wrong, the result was right.

History and mind-bending events follow this team like a lost puppy.

The Giants vanquished the Cardinals with a magic bullet, Hunter Pence's double that hit his bat three times, redirecting into left field as Cardinals shortstop Pete Kozma watched helplessly.

Even when misfortune arrives, as it did briefly Thursday night, it is quickly mocked.

In the second inning, the Tigers awoke against Giants starter Madison Bumgarner. He was sloppy early, missing with high cutters that the Tigers didn't view as strikes. But they had a chance to punish him with the middle of the order. With no outs, Bumgarner hit Prince Fielder in the right arm. Delmon Young followed with a hard shot down the left-field line. It rolled through the Tigers' bullpen and ricocheted away from Gregor Blanco.

Tigers first baseman Prince Fielder makes the catch to put out the Giants' Gregor Blanco at first during Game 2. (Jose Luis Villegas, The Sacramento Bee)

"I think (Lamont) got a little overaggressive," Leyland said. "It was a tough play. The umpire made a great call. He was out."

The Giants didn't need help, Lamont's windmill arm looming larger as the game wore on and Bumgarner settled down. The left-hander needed just 86 pitches to navigate seven shutout innings, setting a personal postseason record with eight strikeouts after mechanical adjustment with a more compact delivery following an awful postseason until Thursday.

Fister took a liner off his head in the second inning, staying in the game to give the Tigers an opportunity for redemption after Wednesday's poor performance.

It was little more than a tease. The Giants are not sympathetic to others' needs. As Sergio Romo delivered the final out, breaking into "Gangham Style," orange towels waved furiously.

Some will call it luck, but here's the truth: The Tigers might have left town in a pumpkin.

Star of the game

Giants starter Madison Bumgarner extended his scoreless World Series streak to 15 innings, benefitting from a mechanical adjustment following poor outings this postseason.

Key moment: In the second inning, Tigers third-base coach Gene Lamont sent Prince Fielder lumbering home with no outs, and he was retired on a perfect relay throw from second baseman Marco Scutaro. Troy E. Renck, The Denver Post

Rockies are on pace to lose 93 games this seasonThe Rockies lost three of four in St. Louis and are on pace to lose 93 games as they come home for a three-game series with Seattle before going back on the road again to face Washington.